myExpression
by Closet Lovers
Summary: Hogwarts has always lacked music, at least, that's what Albus Dumbledore believes. And now that the days have grown dark he thinks that music it what will lift the moral of the castle. Teen for language in later chapters.
1. Stop, Drop, and Seizure

**Chapter 1: Stop, Drop, and Seizure**

**A/N:** The names of each chapter have nothing to do with the actual story. The names are just random things from my head. Also, each update will be 5,000+ words plus to keep you all happy (and I'm going to try and keep it fast). Well, I hope you enjoy!

**A/N(2):** I just revised this chapter a little because there was some grammar mistakes. I want to thank **Sara** who found all the mistakes.

"You know Hermione, some of us don't have the brain capacity to remember our Potions book word for word!" Exclaimed a furious Ron as he glared at Hermione, who was sitting on a chair across the table. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all seated around a table in the Gryffindor common room, finishing up their Potions essays. Actually, only Harry and Ron were working on it, seeing as Hermione had finished an hour ago.

Scowling at Ron's remark, Hermione slammed her Potions book onto the table and stood up, "Well, I'm going to bed, seeing as no one here appreciates my help at this time!" And with those words she stormed off to the sixth year dormitory. Ron had an angry look on his face, while Harry just sat back and took it all in. To Harry, this was all normal. Since the beginning of the year everyone, not just Ron and Hermione, had been getting more agitated at everything and everyone. Harry believed this was because of the return of the Dark Lord. The weight of death in every article and dark wizards around every corner was enough to drive everyone mad.

Chewing on his quill, Harry pondered on when the end of the war would be. Or, as it should be stated, when he was going to defeat the Dark Lord. Ron and Hermione had both been shocked at hearing the prophecy when Harry had decided to tell them. Well, Hermione wasn't too shocked, as she had already figured out as much. Ron was a little more clueless, so it came at him like a bludger to the stomach. The two had both vowed to stick with him even after that though, which is where Harry was surprised.

Harry quickly shook his head free of the thoughts as he realized he had almost dripped ink on his essay. He looked at the almost finished essay, which was supposed to be three feet. It was kind of depressing to look at his, considering it was only two feet. Ron wasn't much better off though, as his was only a foot and a half.

"Hey, mate!" Ron's voice came from Harry's side, snapping him back to attention once again. "Stop day dreaming, we need to finish this so Snape doesn't decide to scalp us..."

"Scalp... Na, more like decapitate," Replied Harry with a huge grin as he dipped his quill into the ink bottle and added another important piece of information.

Ron gave a great shudder, "I don't even want to think about what part he'd decapitate..." After saying that, Ron refocused attention on the parchment before him. And within an hour the two were finished with their essays. Their work wasn't O material, but it was sure to pass. After stuffing the work into their bags, they shuffled up the stairs and fell asleep as soon as they slipped into their pajamas and fell on the bed.

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"WAKE UP YOU GREAT SOD!" A voice boomed as Harry felt hands shaking him back and forth in his bed.

"'S to early..." Mumbled Harry as he rolled over onto his stomach. The person continued to yell and shake him, when suddenly Harry was graced with ice cold water.

"AHHH!" Yelled Harry as the water hit his head. He jumped up and hit his head on one of the bed posts. After falling back to his bed, Harry sat up and scanned the room for the person who had dared to dump water on him. Then Harry saw Ron with his wand, trying his hardest to look innocent.

After getting off the bed, Harry proceeded to chase Ron the room before Dean started yelling again, "STOP! Harry, Ron did that because we really needed you to wake up. Dumbledore said he wants everyone in the Great Hall as soon as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent us home..."

"Stop being a twit," Replied Harry as he settled down. "Hogwarts is the safest place for all of us right now."

"Agreed," Said Ron after he was done catching his breath. "But some of the blokes running around think otherwise. I'm surprised we're all still here."

Harry ran his fingers threw his hair and walked over to the tall mirror to try and make himself a little presentable before going down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. The task at hand was useless, and he gave up at a few seconds and followed Ron down to the Great Hall. They didn't see many students on the way down, which meant most of the other students were already down there. Finally, the two came to the Great Hall and took a seat across from Hermione, who was scanning over one of her homework assignments. Ron piled bacon and toast onto his plate while Harry looked up at Dumbledore, who seemed to be getting ready to stand and make an announcement. After a few minutes, he finally did.

"Ahem! I'm sure you've all been re-energized by now, and I'd like to make an announcement," Dumbledore spoke, his voice clear and loud enough for all the students to hear. "As you all know, the Ministry of Magic has accepted the fact that Voldemort has indeed risen once again. But, for once, we have feared the darkness to much. We cannot let this evil bring our moral down! So, I herby announce that a contest will be held within the walls of Hogwarts."

At once everyone started to whisper, and noise filled the room. Dumbledore's voice was drowned out as almost everyone started asking questions at the same time. But, once again, Dumbledore's voice cut through the chatting, "Well, I can't let you leave without telling what the contest is all about! This contest will bring something Hogwarts has missed for years! Music! Now, if you want to know more, then you can ask your head of house or a house prefect. More information will also be posted in your common rooms! Now, off to class!"

After Dumbledore's talking ceased, the scrapping of chairs and the talking of students could be heard.

"So Harry, are you thinking about it?" Ron questioned as the trio made their way out of the Great Hall towards the dungeons.

"How can I think about it when I don't know anything about it?" Harry shot back, while glancing at Hermione who looked as though she was bouncing with anticipation. Harry knew that she had been waiting for the chance to tell them all about the contest, and how she already knew everything about it beforehand.

"If you two want I can tell you about it," Hermione stated, while they made their way down a cold corridor. The three could hear others farther down chatting away. Most likely about the contest.

"Shoot away, because your bound to talk our ears off about it later if not now," Ron replied.

"Well, in the competition you can either sing or play an instrument. Or, if you choose, you can do both. But, you don't have to enter the contest alone. You can also form groups-"

"You mean bands?"

"Yes Ron, bands. Anyways, you have to create your own song to preform for the contest, which will take place near the end of the year." Hermione finished just as they reached the Potions classroom. They entered to find Malfoy chatting away with his bodyguards, and not even noticing his rival enter the room. Harry could clearly hear what they were saying,

"A bloody music contest? Don't you think he's out of his bloody mind?" Malfoy sneered, and his two cronies nodded their heads vigorously. Just then Malfoy noticed Harry watching him. "Well, Potter, don't you have someone else to drool at? I know I'm perfect looking, but I don't swing at that side of the fence."

Immediately, Harry retaliated, "What? Malfoy are you finally admitting your attraction to other men?"

Right when Harry was taunting Malfoy, Professor Snape stalked into the room, "Twenty points from Potter for his dirty mouth."

Malfoy and his followers went to the back of the classroom and took their seats while snickering at Harry as he took his spot next to Ron. Harry ignored Snape as he started writing down the instructions for the Insignia Potion. The rest of the class went by without much incident, with only twenty more points taken from Gryffindor because Harry and Ron's potion was "a shade off color". Harry and Ron had to hold themselves back from pouncing on Snape. Their potion was a light green, and the potion was supposed to be a lush green. That wasn't what unsettled them though. Snape had walked right past Malfoy's pink potion without a word.

When the bell let out a rang Harry let out a relieved sigh as he shoved his notes and his Potions book back into his battered bag. When he finally got out of the room Ron bombarded him with complaints, "I can't believe that slimball! Honestly, "Your potion seems to be a shade to light. That will be twenty points from Gryffindor." His greasy hair must have been plastered over his eyes to have not seen Malfoy's potion..."

After a few minutes of walking, Harry tuned out Ron's endless complaints about their Potions professor. Hermione seemed to be doing the same thing as she stared off into one of the corridors walls as the three made their way to the doors that led to the grounds. Ron seemed to stop his rant once they got outside, seeing as it was a very beautiful and warm day.

Herbology passed quickly enough and soon the three were making their way back to the castle. When they were walking they heard some people behind them talking, "You know, his father will find a way out..."

"That's impossible... The only person ever to break out was-"

"Yes, I know! But if one can break out, so can another. Even if he can't do it by himself, his master will figure out a way to break it wide open-"

"Your insane! There's no possible w-"

"Oh ya? Well, I bet we'll both be on the same page once you get the prophet next week."

The voices slowly died out as the trio quickened their pace. Harry immediately started to discuss what they had just heard, "So who do you think they're talking about? What if someone's trying to break into Azkaban?"

Hermione scowled. "Harry, you know that's one of the most secure places ever to have been built!"

"Yes, but I'm sure Voldemort can do it! He's done things that you've said were impossible before."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and they walked in silence the rest of the way to the Great Hall. The trio sat across from Ginny and Neville who were both discussing the contest. Harry listened in interest as Ginny spoke, "I'm thinking of entering... But I'm not sure if I should embarrass myself singing, or learn how to play an instrument."

Ron snorted, "You embarrass yourself singing? Your not that bad!"

Ginny glared at Ron from across the table, "Oh, and how do you know that?"

"Mum left the Wizarding Wireless out in the living room and I happened to hear you singing along once."

"Your horrible Ron! Your just lying so you can see me get booed off stage!" Ginny retaliated, by the words didn't come out as harsh sounding as she had wanted them to. Ron just remained silent with a knowing smirk on his face as Hermione jumped into the conversation.

"So Harry, do you plan on doing anything?" She asked as she picked up an apple from the center of the table.

Needless to say, Harry was surprised by the question. Could he enter the competition? After thinking it over for a few moments Harry let out a sad sigh, "No, I really don't have any talent in that area really..."

Neville jumped into the conversation then, "Oh, come on Harry! This isn't about talent really. This is just a competition to take our mind off of things and have some fun."

"He's right Harry, we all need something to get our minds off the war for a little while, "Ginny put-in. She then directed her attention back down at the parchment in front of her. What she was writing Harry didn't know.

Letting out another sigh Harry shook his head, "I really don't think I'd-"

"Argh, Harry! Just give it some thought, won't you?" Hermione said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. After a few moments Harry finally agreed to give it some thought. Finishing their lunches, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to Transfiguration to start another round of mind-boring classes once again. After classes were done Harry made his way out to the lake to get some privacy. He sat down under a tree next to the lake shore and started to reflect on his day. This was a normal routine since the beginning of the year. After Sirius' death Harry decided he'd rather get away from people then confront them, and that need brought him to the lake. He gazed into the uneven waters as pictures of him on a stage trying to sing. The crowd going wild and throwing fruit at him because his voice cracked. After pursuing the day-nightmare for a few minutes Harry shook his head and got the bad images out of his head.

"Chocolate Frog for your thoughts?" A soft voice came from behind Harry. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw Ginny standing there with a worried look on her face.

"Ginny, what are you doing out here? It's getting pretty dark," Harry said, his voice was calm. He was right though, the sky was gradually being enveloped by a dark shade of blue.

Wrapping her arms around herself Ginny sat down next to Harry, "Oh, Hermione sent me out here-"

Harry cut her off, "Tell Hermione to stay out of my business. This doesn't concern her, or anyone else."

Ginny glared at him hard, "I'm not coming out here just because of Hermione! Everyone in the castle has noticed your dark mood! If you would just get your head out of your arse you would see that the world isn't revolving around you."

Harry stood up quickly, with a sad look in his eyes, "I'm aware of that. But, right now I want to be alone."

With that he walked away, leaving a hard faced Ginny. As he slowly made his way towards the castle he wished he could stop feeling this way. He didn't want to before, because he felt that if he stopped feeling the sadness, then Sirius would disappear and he would forget his Godfather. But, he realized that Sirius wouldn't want him to act like this. Suddenly, with a hard determination, Harry turned around and started back towards Ginny. Once he reached the red haired girl he sat down next to her.

Ginny through him a questioning look, "Back to throw another tantrum?"

Harry's determination was slowly slipping away, being replaced with a swirl of thoughts. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to let go? "I err.. Ginny can I talk to you about him?"

"Sirius?"

"Yes..." He said, his voice was filled with pain.

"Well, okay. Shoot away."

"Ginny, I don't want to walk around with remorse on my face! But I don't want to forget him at the same time..." Harry's voice trailed off as he looked at the orange sky on the horizon before him.

Ginny was silent, and was at a loss for words. Instead she wrapped her arms around Harry as Harry started to cry. For him, it was the first him he had cried over Sirius' death. After the losing him, Harry didn't have the time required to morn over the death of his mentor. So, for the first time, Harry let his anguish out and cried into Ginny's shoulder for a few minutes before he pulled back. Quickly, Harry stood up, "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to..."

Ginny half-smiled, "What are you apologizing for?"

"I, err... I cried on your shoulder. I'm sorry you had to see that," Harry whispered as he frantically tried to wipe away the remaining tears with his sleeves.

Laughing, Ginny smacked him in the arm, "Aww, it's okay! You should try it with Ron, I'm sure he'd avoid you for days!"

The little joke relieved the tension between the two, and finally Harry spoke again, "You know, that felt good... I feel like I got a ton off my shoulder-"

Ginny cut him off, "Enough to walk into Potions with a smile and greet Snape?"

"NO! I'd have to have the head taken off my shoulders too." Harry joked, a grin appearing on his face. His depressed mood sinking away with each passing moment. Just then he realized how much he had messed up. All he had to do was let his sorrows out to get ride of the feeling. The sorrow wasn't completely gone, but it had subsided. Ginny realized Harry was in deep thought, so she remained silent. Suddenly Harry started speaking again, but this time in a more somber mood, "Ginny... Thanks for this. You have no idea how much this did for me..."

Once again, Ginny took Harry into a hug, "No problem... If you ever need to let something out just talk to me. I'm always willing to listen you know. As long as you don't confess your love for Malfoy or Snape then I'm fine."

Harry let out a laugh and laid back onto the grass and looked up at the now starry sky. For some reason, the dark canopy of black calmed him. Beside him, Ginny had done the same. The two remained silent as they both thought back on what had just taken place. Harry was glad that he now had a friend who he could talk to about his problems and not get a thousand questions. And Ginny was glad that she wasn't just Ron's sister to Harry now.

After a while of staring at the white stars in the sky Harry stood up and stretched, and then offered Ginny a hand. After he helped her up, he spoke, "Thanks for all of this."

"You already told me that! Come on, we need to get back before Ron and Hermione throw a fit and eat our souls because we worried them so much." Ginny replied with a lopsided grin.

"Pfft, Ron probably thinks we were snogging or something," Harry joked as they made their way to the entrance to the castle.

"That's what I plan on telling him if he rambled off a thousand questions. That'll shut him up good!"

"Ha! Ya, and I'll end up being hung from a quidditch pole when he gets his wits about him again." Harry laughed.

"Nah, I bet he'll poison you, then he'll hang you."

"Thanks for the support." Harry said as the two reached the portrait of the fat lady, who was currently reading a book titled, "Losing Weight Like Magic". She seemed quiet embarrassed as Harry said the password, "Blood Lollipop."

The portrait scowled as she let the two Hogwarts students into the common room. When Harry and Ginny got inside they found a very worried looking Hermione and Ron.

"Where have you two been!" Ron growled as he spotted the two. "Me and Hermione have been pulling our hair out mate!"

Ginny scowled at her older brother, "You sound like mum! We were just snogging by the lake! What's so wrong with that? At least we weren't shagging in the water."

Right away Ron's eyes widen and started to pop out, and he turned to Harry, "WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO MY SISTER!"

The yelling coming from Ron was enough to wake up the whole castle. Hermione stepped forward and grabbed on his arm, trying to calm him down a little bit. The yelling surprised Harry a bit, and he glanced sideways at Ginny with a look of a deer in the headlights. The grin on Ginny's face grew wider as she mouthed, 'Play along' to Harry. The same that was on Ginny's face appeared on Harry's as he looked back to Ron, "You know Ron... Ginny has the best-"

"HARRY!" Hermione screeched with a red face. When Harry looked away from Ron, who was now more red then his hair, he saw Ginny was still grinning evilly but had a surprised look apparent on her features.

It was now Ginny's turn to torment Ron, "Well Harry, I'll see you tomorrow. Same spot! Night!"

And with that Ginny bounded up the stairs towards her dormitory before Ron could release his fury on her. After she was gone, Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione with a leap of courage. Then, without a word, Ron scowled then stomped up to the sixth year boys dormitory. Harry let out a sigh and sat down on the nearest couch. He looked over at Hermione who was staring at him with her arms crossed, when finally she spoke up, "So what were you two doing?"

Some of Harry's fun fled at the question. "Well you should know, your the one who sent Ginny to talk to me didn't you?"

Right away Hermione got a look of confusion at the words. "I didn't send her to do anything Harry!"

It took a few minutes for Harry to digest what that meant. Had Ginny really wanted to help him that much? Why did she want to cover that up though? "Really? I guess that's a relief... But why did Ginny lie about that?"

A smile crept onto Hermione's lips. "I think you can figure that out by yourself, because right now I'm dead tired! I've got a lot of studying to do tomorrow anyways. Good night Harry."

"G'night Hermione," Harry replied as Hermione headed towards her dormitory. After he heard the door above close, he turned his attention to the fire and let himself get mesmerized by it's flames. His thoughts lingered on the mystery of Ginny and the newly-announced music competition. Why had Ginny lied about why she had come to see him? Did she care more than she put out? Did she lie because she didn't want him to know how much she cared? Harry tried frantically to get the questions out of his head. It's not like the answers were findable without actually asking. With one last glance at the fire Harry stood up and headed towards the boys dormitory.

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"Come on! Food!" Ron exclaimed while Harry scrambled to get his Hogwarts robes on. To Harry, Ron's mood was very odd. Last night he had been seething mad, but now he was bouncing with joy and yearning for food. And that meant a very happy Ron indeed. After Harry finally fit his right arm into the robes the two made their way down to the common room to find Hermione waiting for them impatiently, with her foot tapping the ground. The three quickly greeted each other lazily and made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they got there they found Ginny chatting to Neville once again.

"Harry!" Ginny greeted as he sat down across from her.

"Hey," said a sleepy looking Harry. His eyes had dark circles around them, and his hair was sticking up in every direction. It was obvious that he wasn't fully awake just yet.

"Guess what? I'm going to learn how to play guitar for the contest!" The red heads happiness was radiating off of her as she made the announcement.

Ron suddenly cut into the conversation, "Uh, sorry to burst your bubble Gin, but you don't know the first thing about playing any instrument."

"Why don't you shove your breakfast where the sun doesn't shine," Ginny said harshly. "I'm going to pick up my guitar and some books at the next Hogsmeade visit."

"And where are you getting the money?"

"Mum and Dad said they'd pay for it all. It's nothing to worry over, 'cause Dad just got that promotion, remember?" Ginny replied while she pilled some pancakes onto her plate.

"I'm planning on entering too!" Neville said with excitement and nervousness apparent in his voice. "Gran' says I have a decent voice."

Next to Harry, Ron was coughing into his pumpkin juice, trying not laugh at what Neville had just said. A few other people that heard Neville had disbelieving looks on their faces, and some were holding back laughs like Ron was currently doing. Neville was completely oblivious to all the peoples reactions around him. Harry decided to try and keep his attention off the others while they regained their bearings, "Err, that's great Neville, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks Harry!" Neville exclaimed with joy, his face beaming. Following that, he got up and told them all he was going to head towards the Green Houses to give Professor Sprout some extra credit. After he was gone the regular conversations resumed.

"Harry, have you given the competition any thought yet?" Hermione questioned.

The question made Harry start to feel guilty. Last night he had tried to give it some thought but Ginny's odd behavior had taken up his mind. "Not really, but I am trying. I promise!"

Just then Ron popped a muffin into his mouth and started to talk, "I've 'een 'hinking 'bout it!"

A dirty look was shot at Ron from Hermione's direction, and she started to scold him. "Ron! That's really disgusting, sometimes I wonder..."

Ron swallowed the remaining food in his mouth, "Don't get your knickers in a bunch! Besides, I've already heard this speech more'n a dozen times!"

"And you don't ever consider the words that you've heard more then a dozen times?" She asked, and Harry started to laugh at Ron's confused look. "Honestly Ron..."

The two continued to bicker as they finished up their breakfast and headed towards the Charms classroom. The rest of the day passed by in a flash, and before Harry knew it classes were over and he was sitting in the library because Hermione wanted them to get in some 'Quality studying time'. How she got Ron to agree was a complete mystery to Harry.

"Err, what's that thingy?" Ron asked as he pointed to an obscure picture in a book he was reading with the title, 'Shadows, and the Things You Don't Want to Know About That's In Them'. Hermione was currently looking for another book, so Harry was the only one to reply to the question.

A lopsided grin appeared on Harry's face as he answered, "It's probably a creature that lives in a shadow that you don't want to know about."

"Thanks for that mate," Ron said sarcastically.

"No problem."

"I just noticed that Hermione's more useful then you sometimes."

"Oh, thanks a ton!" Harry said, while grinning. Quickly, Harry slammed the book in his hands shut and attempted to whack Ron in the side of the head.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron screamed as he fell out of his chair trying to dodge it. His attempt was fruitless in the end when his elbow hit a book on the edge of the table and it fell and slammed into his jaw. Once again he yelled, "BLOODY HELL!"

In an instance Madam Pince was upon the two of them and shoeing them out of the library. Hermione had just emerged with the book she was looking for and had no choice but to follow the two out of the library. The two boys explained what had happened once they were out of the library completely. Hermione was scowling as they tried to decided what to do with the rest of their days. Harry and Ron decided on flying around on the pitch while Hermione would read in the stands. The trio went to the common room first to collect their brooms and get any books Hermione would need. When they were heading out of the portrait Ginny spotted them and grabbed her own broom and went with them.

Harry let out a sigh of relief when he pushed off the grassy ground and felt the cool breeze on his face. It had been awhile since he had last felt the effects of flying... Of being free. Quidditch had been canceled once again because some of the teachers thought there was already enough strain on the students, and it also took a lot out of the teachers time as well. And at the moment, a lot of the teachers were involved with the Order of the Phoenix and needed all the time they could get.

"Oi, Harry! Catch!" Ginny yelled as she threw a quaffle as hard as she could at him. With the reflexes of a seeker, Harry quickly spun around and brought his hands up to catch the quaffle. As soon as it touched his hands, Harry hurled it at Ron, who was flying circles around the quidditch poles. Harry didn't yell a warning and the red quidditch ball hit Ron in the stomach.

"AHHHH!" Ron yelled as he started flying wildly towards one of the quidditch poles. Before he had time to regain control the broom crashed into the pole and sent Ron flying threw the hoop. He quickly put his arms in front of him to prevent his head from hitting the ground first. But Harry was already there and caught Ron easily.

"Oh, one point Harry, zero Ron," Harry laughed as he dropped Ron on the ground. He saw Ron's look of fury and started to explain, "Don't worry, I wouldn't have done that if you were going to get hurt..."

"Blood hell Harry, that scared the quidditch out of me for a few seconds!" Ron yelled as he flailed his arms around wildly. Ginny landed next to him just then and started to laugh uncontrollably.

"That was bloody brilliant Harry!" She laughed, holding a stitch in her side. Just then Hermione came running up with a very small grin at the corner of her mouth.

"Ron, are you all right! At first I thought you were going to smack into the pole! Guess your lucky there was a hoop there," She said, still trying to suppress a smile.

A few minutes passed before Ron calmed down, and soon enough the four students were headed back to the Gryffindor common room to get some rest. Harry stayed back once again to watch the fire again. His thoughts finally settled on the competition. Now that the pain of Sirius' death was easing up Harry's view on things started to change. For once things started to look... Enjoyable. After an hour of letting his mind wander he decided to go to bed. And as he passed into the world of dreams he couldn't help but think, 'Maybe it'd be fun...'


	2. A Thousand Verses Into Sunday

**Chapter 2: A Thousand Verses Into Sunday**

**A/N:** Thanks to my beta for fixing all of my mistakes! This probably wouldn't be so easy to read if it wasn't for her.

The next morning Harry awoke with a feeling that the day was going to be a good one. He sat up in his bed and stretched out his arms while looking around the room. It seemed that Ron and the other people that slept in the sixth year boy's dormitory had already left for breakfast. Ron must have left him to sleep considering it was a Saturday, Harry thought. After washing up and dressing Harry headed down to the common room to find Ginny sitting in an armchair reading a book. Deciding breakfast could wait, Harry walked up to her, "What are you reading?"

Ginny jumped a little at Harry's sleepy voice but calmed down when she saw who it was. "Don't you have any other hobbies?"

Harry pretended to ponder the question, "Hmm, I can't say that I do! Unless you want to count making people run into quidditch poles."

A shy smile appeared on Ginny's face that Harry didn't expect. "Okay, well... I'm hungry, so let's head down for some breakfast. Ron's probably having a fit right now!"

"Nah, he only has fits when Hermione ups and leaves," Harry replied casually as Ginny stood up and stretched. After placing her schoolbook into her bag the two headed towards the Great Hall. The Great Hall would probably be empty, considering how late in the morning it was. On their way there Harry tried to start up a conversation.

"Isn't the Hogsmeade visit today?" He asked, trying to act normal.

"Yes! You should have known that, because you've been telling me every thirty minutes for the past two days," She said with a laugh in her voice.

Harry started to stumble over his words. "I have! I thought Ron was the one bothering you, not me."

Ginny rolled her eyes and the two finally reached the hall and sat across from Ron and Hermione, who both seemed in a very good mood at the time. It looked as though the two had already eaten, and were both chatting away happily.

"What's got you two in the clouds?" Ginny asked before Harry could say anything. Ron and Hermione glanced at the two and smiled.

"Well, Ron and me have decided to enter the competition!" Hermione was bouncing with happiness as she told Harry and Ginny. The announcement caught Harry off guard and he started to choke on a sausage. He painfully swallowed it.

"Are you serious!" When Hermione and Ron nodded, Harry started to speak again. "So... Err... What are you two going to be doing?"

"We're not going into the contest together mate!" Ron said as if reading Harry's mind. "I'm planning on learning how to play the drums and Hermione says she wants to play the keyboard."

"That's... Uh, that's great Ron. You too Hermione," Harry replied with a smile. Now that all his friends were entering the music competition he was starting to feel left behind a little bit. He tried to shake the weird feeling away as Ron and Hermione stood up to head towards Hogsmeade. Harry quickly finished his last sausage and then stood up to follow the two. As soon as he got to the entrance to the Great Hall someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face them.

"So, Potter! Are you ready to get smashed in this contest?" Malfoy sneered as he glared into Harry's eyes with a newfound hate that Harry had never seen. "Or are you too... Scared, to even enter?"

All of Malfoy's words were hitting Harry in the right places. "You better watch it Malfoy, because I'll be the one mopping you off the stage. And they'll have to take you to St. Mungos just to get your head out of your arse."

Malfoy let out a taunting laugh, and without a word he left the Great Hall. Shaking his head, Harry regained his posture and started towards the entrance of Hogwarts to try and catch up with Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, the two had stopped to wait for him by the entrance to the Great Hall and had witnessed the conversation between Malfoy and Harry.

"That git really does need to get his head out of his arse," Ron spat with a hint of hate in his voice.

Hermione jumped into the conversation with a different approach, "Harry! Do you know what you just agreed to?"

"Umm, to wipe his body parts off a stage?" Harry asked while thinking back on the short conversation.

"No! You agreed to participate in the contest," She stated with a huge smile on her face. Harry immediately started shaking his head and saying no.

"Sorry, no can do! I've told you before, music just isn't where my talents are," Harry said with a hint of pleading in his voice. It was apparent to his two best friends that he really didn't want to enter, that didn't mean they would listen to him though.

"Sorry mate, but you did agree to compete. Right about now, Malfoy is probably spreading the word around the school. If you don't enter, you'll probably be made out as a flobberworm," said a smiling Ron. Harry's mind started to spin the idea of what would happen if everyone did think he was a flobberworm. He knew that he would never hear the end of it if he backed out.

"Argh... I don't know..." He started, but his two friends gave him a knowing look.

"Okay! Okay, I-I'll do it. But don't even start asking me what I'm going to do, because I need to think on it."

Ron let out a whoop, and the three started to head towards Hogsmeade once again. Hermione and Ron were considerably more happy then before, if possible. As the trio got out of the black carriages they saw Ginny talking to Neville by their own carriage. They made their way over to the two, seeing as they were all going to be going to the same place to get the instruments and books that they all would need. After everyone greeted each other they went to a small shop that Harry had never heard of. The small shop was called, 'Musical Mega-Database'. To Harry, who had lived with muggles most of his life, it sounded too technical for a wizard shop. As soon as Harry entered the shop behind Ron, he _knew_ that it wasn't a normal wizard shop. Instruments of all types lined the walls. There were also a variety of instruments and other very technical devices on the floors, tables, and shelves.

"Whoa," Ron whispered at seeing all of devices that would take him months to figure out. Everyone except Harry and Hermione reacted the same as him. It took them about fifteen minutes before they actually started looking around. Ginny went straight to the back of the shop where there was a separate room for electric guitars. Neville went straight to the books to look at books to help you improve your voice and how to train your talents. Hermione went to another small room that held keyboards and some keyboard equipment. Ron was just wandering around the main room, because all the drums were scattered around on the floor and some small platforms. While everyone one else went to their separate sections, Harry was left to just wander around and look at everything. He was hoping something would catch his eye so he wouldn't have to do any hard thinking on it. After about twenty minutes he found himself in a small room that branched off from the electric guitars. At first Harry thought it was electric guitars but when he looked closer he saw that these instruments had four, five, or six strings instead of the standard six. The strings were also a lot thicker and the frets were spread out a lot more. Finally, Harry got bored of just looking so he took one of the four stringed instruments off the wall and tried plucking the strings. He got frustrated when the instrument emitted no sound at all. Just as he was about to put it back on the wall someone started to speak.

"Plugging it into an amp would probably make it work better," A deep voice said. Harry spun around to see a younger looking man with long black hair down to the middle of his back smiling at him. The man walked towards Harry and plugged the instrument into one of the black boxes that were stocked in the middle of the room. After flipping a switch and tweaking about six knobs the man started to pluck at the strings. After playing a small riff the man handed the instrument back to Harry. "So are you a veteran bass player, or are you looking to start playing an instrument?"

Harry's mind started replaying the dark sounding riff in his brain. Suddenly his mouth made the decision for him. "I'm a beginner, and I'd like to purchase a bass, and some books along with it to help me learn."

"Well, tell me the amount you're willing to spend, and I'll get you the best one for that price," The man said with a smile. "And by the way, my name is James Yorktin. And you are?"

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said quietly. Surprisingly, the man didn't look up at his forehead, he just smiled and waited for Harry's answer on the amount he was to spend. "Oh, and I guess price doesn't matter... So the best you got."

Suddenly, James' face went pale as Harry said that. "I-I'll be right back! I never imagined that I'd find someone to actually be able to buy this beauty..."

He was still muttering to himself as he made his way through a small door at the back of the bass room. While Harry was waiting for him to return he continued to look around at all the beautifully crafted instruments. Not once did he see one with a flaw. The instruments were like works of art. Twenty minutes passed before James had left and when he came back he was holding a black case shaped like a bass. He beckoned Harry over to him as he placed the case onto a table he had just cleared. "Now Harry, this is the finest instrument I own! It's made of redwood, and within the confines of its case it holds three dragon scales. You see, this instrument is so expensive because of that, and because it's magic!"

Just then he opened the case to reveal a bass that had it's body made of redwood, while the fret board was a deeper red made out of some odd material that Harry wasn't sure about. Four strings were strung across the beautiful bass and they were a shinny black that Harry hadn't seen on any of the other instruments in the room. The pegs were the same colour as the strings. James started to speak again. "The magic doesn't make this a cheating device either! All it does is tunes itself to any tuning that you want, adjusts the strings to a good height so it doesn't buzz, and it sends it's signals to any amp you choose, which can be more then one! Also, the strings are unbreakable! So there's no need to ever have to replace them. It's all yours for 10,560 galleons..."

Suddenly a depressed look came upon the man as he saw Harry's jaw drop. Harry had to shake himself out of his stupor upon seeing James face. "I-I'm so sorry about scaring you. So how exactly do I pay a fee like that?"

"Oh, no worries about that. Just sign these papers and it will be sent to Gringrotts to make the transaction," The black haired man said with a huge smile. He saw pointing to a paper that was taped to the top of the black case. It took Harry a few minutes to read all the details that were included. Finally, after deciding it wasn't a scam, he signed at the bottom of the paper and wrote his vault details down. "Well, that's that! The amps are in the main room, so you might want to pick out one, and then get some books for self-instruction."

Harry walked through the rooms with the case in his hand, and he saw Ginny with a beautiful electric guitar in her hands, but her face dropped when she looked at the tag attached to it. With a depressed look she got up to put it back but Harry put his hand on her shoulder and started to talk. "Don't worry about prices, I'll pay for everyone if I need to."

A guilty expression appeared on Ginny's face. "I don't know Harry... I don't want you spending your money on me."

"Just think of it as a birthday present, or a Christmas present," Harry said with a smile on his lips as Ginny finally agreed and Harry signed the papers that were folder up on the tag. The two headed out to the main room so Ginny could look for her amp and books. The main room's back wall was blocked from view because of the stacks of speakers, amps, and soundboards. Finding a good amp was a small job as the two found two medium sized amps connected to a set of six stage speakers. They immediately purchased the whole set and went to the book section. When they got there they noticed that Neville was gone. "Probably found his books ages ago and left because he didn't know where we were."

Ginny snorted at that. "I doubt it, Neville doesn't go anywhere alone anymore."

"Hey Harry!" Ron yelled from the back of the room, begging Harry to come over to him. After putting a book back titled, 'Desperate Wizards: How to Learn to Play Bass in One Month'. When Harry reached Ron he saw what his friend was looking at. In front of him was a eight-piece drum set with a double bass. When Harry looked over at Ron he saw that his best friend couldn't peel his eyes off the set. Suddenly Ron whispered. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Harry almost laughed at the words. "Ha, yeah Ron. It's girlfriend material all the way."

"Blood hell, if only it was really a girl!"

At those words Harry did laugh. "Your not serious are you? Here, I'll sign the payment papers for you while you go to the book section for some lesson books on drum sets. That is, if you can tear yourself from it..."

Giving a small nod, and one last look at the pitch-black drum set, Ron set off to go look for some lesson books. Usually he would say no to Harry paying for it, but Harry was sure that he was to distracted by thoughts of the drum set to actually care. Harry thought it was weird that Ron was so struck by the musical instrument. Because in Harry's mind, that would be the last thing Ron got attached to.

Quickly, he signed the papers and went back to the book section to pick out some more books. He decided to get a few vocal books encase he decided to sing a little as well.

An hour later the five students were at the door of the shop waving to the shop owner, who was as happy as could be. Everyone had been quiet surprised to see Neville carrying a guitar case. But he said that he wanted to learn how to play instrument, because singing isn't that hard. After they left the shop they decided to head back early to try out their new instruments. Everyone could carry their instruments easily, but the amps and the drum set had been shrunk for easy carrying. So, in another twenty minutes the five were at the castles front door discussing were to practice.

"Why don't we just find an empty classroom?" Ron asked as he leaned against the heavy oak door. No one answered, seeing as they were all thinking about it themselves.

"Nah, people can still hear you from the classrooms," Neville stated while shaking his head.

"Not if you put a silencing spell on the room," Came the matter of a fact reply from Hermione. Just then she seemed to get a brilliant idea. Her face lifted into a happy expression. "Why don't we just use the room of requirements!"

Everyone agreed, and they headed off once again to the room they had used for Defence Against the Dark Arts training the year before. Harry walked back and forth in front of the door wishing for a place for them to practice to appear. An old wooden door appeared and they entered. The room was huge with a small stage near the back for Ron's drum set. Hermione instructed everyone to take out the amps and other items out of their pockets, and then she enlarged them back to their original sizes. The owner of the shop had allowed Ron to just take the display drums so he wouldn't have to construct the set when he got it back to school. He had also explained to them how all of the amps, midi-instruments, and other devices didn't need electricity to run, and how they are off magic.

Soon enough, everyone had their instruction booklets out, because they were completely lost on where to connect what. The owner had helped them pick out all of the accessories that they needed. They had needed up with wireless receivers and transmitters so they wouldn't have to use cords to hook up their instruments to the amps. Harry also thought it would be easier to move around with out a cord. Everyone except Ron bought a microphone to mess around with as well.

After twenty minutes of scrambling around and flipping through booklets the five had finally set themselves up. Everyone but Ron connected headphones to their amps so they could practice without being laughed at. It was all their first time, so they all knew that for the next few weeks or possibly months they would all sound like crap. Ron didn't have the option to where headphones though, but he didn't want to go into a separate room to practice, so he took his chances. Soon enough everyone had books flipped open, trying to get the basics down pat.

'Remember to press the string down firmly near the frets to get ride of buzz. Now, let's practice that will going up the scale...'

Harry did as the book complied and after two hours of practice and soar fingers he decided stop for the day. Two hours was enough practice for the first day. Besides, he felt happy about what he had accomplished. No one knew how Ron was doing though, because the earphones blocked out the outside sounds. But every once and a while they would see him scrunch up his face in concentration, only to frown a few seconds later. In the end, it was more concentrating then frowning, so they all assumed he was progressing well.

When everyone else saw Harry putting his bass into its case they all did the same. Ginny seemed very upbeat about the practice. "I really think I'm going to kick some arse! Every other poor soul that enters better watch it."

"Pretty confident words," Hermione said with a smirk on her face. She then buckled a long black case closer and picked it up along with the rest of her books. "I think I'm going to get a hang of this."

Everyone nodded as they continued to discuss how their practicing had went. Ron said that he had progressed fairly far, but that he hadn't begun using his cymbals and his snares. After that, Neville told them that it would probably take him another practice to get some more of the basics down about guitars. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all agreed that they would be ready for the competition when it rolled around.

As they were walking out of the door Harry noticed something. "Um, Hermione, why are you taking your instrument with you? We can just leave them her until our next practice..."

"I plan on practicing during some of my free time," She said while readjusting the books in her arms.

"You could just come back here," Ron cut in while giving her an annoyed look..

"Okay, okay, I'll leave it here. Are you two happy now?"

"Yep," They both muttered. Soon enough all of them were back up in the common room waiting for the day to end. Harry was currently contemplating on what piece to move in the game against Ron. He was losing horribly, with only three pawns, one bishop, one castle, and his kind left. By the fire, Ginny and Hermione were both reading their lesson books while Neville sat on a armchair by them, with his eyes drooping. The fire was bouncing happily, and a soft, comfortable glow filled the room. Even while losing the game of chess, Harry couldn't help but notice how relaxed everyone was. His thoughts drifted back to the practice, and immediately knew that somehow the music had calmed him. Maybe Dumbledore was right, he thought before he bid everyone a good night and headed up towards bed.

---------------------

"I know, I know," Ron said while he grinned at Hermione. She was currently scolding him for talking while eating. They had been discussing when they should practice playing again, but bits of food had flew into Hermione's face when Ron told them his idea. She had obviously thought it gross and started to lecture him.

"How can you stand being so disgusting Ron?" She asked, with annoyance in his voice.

"Uh, I think to stand it you have to know your being disgusting. I didn't know..." He started piling more food onto his plate. "I always thought talking was a common thing, and so was eating. So what's wrong with doing them at the same time?"

Hermione scoffed. "A lot of things Ron. Honestly... Where's your common sense?"

Instead of answering Ron started stuffing his face once again. Harry watched all of this, and then let his mind wander. Somehow it stopped on the event after Herbology. Hadn't one of the said to look at the Prophet sometime this week? Just as Harry thought of that, the post arrived. He watched a hundreds of owls entered the Great Hall and flew to their owners, and some to their recipients for which they were intended. That's when he saw Hedwig, she swooped down and nearly clipped him, and dropped a bundle of mail in the middle of a plate of bacon. Harry figured she was mad because he hadn't been paying that much attention to her lately.

To get on his owl's good side, Harry offered her some bacon from his breakfast. "Sorry for not using you for so long, girl." Hedwig let out a soft hoot and took the bacon.

"Bloody hell! Damn..." Harry looked up to see a distressed Ron looking at the Daily Prophet. If he would have glanced around the hall, he would have noticed that a lot more people were in the same state. "Hey mate, you got to see this!"

Ron handed Harry the paper and pointed to the front page. Harry looked the picture over, and saw the Ministry of Magic, and then he glanced up and saw the Dark Mark hovering above it. Quickly, he started reading the article on that page,

_**'Yesterday, what looked like more then a dozen death eaters stormed the Ministry. The raid was unexpected and caught many of the officials working that night off guard. **_

_**They came fast and hard... Before I had time to send out some of our war trained aurors, we had already been devastated," Mr. Branse had explained after the destruction. "But sometime in the mere future I look forward to getting those bastards back."**_

_**Some of the death eaters were stopped and are going to face judgement sometime next week. Also, some loses came from these captures. Minister Fudge was captured, and his assistant Percy Weasley was killed by what official medi-wizards said was the killing curse. As of now the aurors are putting together a rescue team...'**_

A muffled cry came from Harry's right. He turned to see Ginny standing up holding her hand over her mouth, and then suddenly she bolted from the Great Hall. Harry got up to follow, but Hermione grabbed his arm and just shook her head. When Harry focused his attention back to Ron he saw his friend looking at the Daily Prophet with a stone expression of shock. And suddenly, Ron got up without a word and left the hall with his head down. Almost everyone's eyes were following him as he made a slow exit while trying to bit back his own pain.

This time Hermione let Harry get up and follow him. Harry ran past the Great Hall doors and saw Ron sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. He didn't even turn to look at Harry when he started to talk in a voice that sounded just as strained as his appearance. "Is this what it's supposed to feel like losing family Harry?"

At first he didn't know what to say, but he eventually found the words. "Yes... It goes away after awhile."

"Why would they kill Percy? What did he do?" Ron stood up and suddenly an angry expression took the place of his sad face. "I'm going to kill every last one of them until I get an answer. I will Harry..."

Out of nowhere, Ron suddenly fainted onto the floor at Harry's feet. Immediately, Harry picked him up and started to carry his friend to the hospital wing. As he carried his best friend his mood started to change as everything started to sink in. Percy was dead, gone, and never to pester his brothers... Harry may not have liked Percy that much, but he would never wish that fate on anyone, not even Malfoy. But Harry already knew by now that life just didn't take everyone's feelings into consideration. Life wasn't _fair_ sometimes.

Harry let out a sigh, and he a few minutes later he finally reached the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey quickly took Ron off his hands and shoed him from the ward. Without a care of classes, Harry sat down outside the Hospital Wing doors and thought about Percy for a little longer. Why didn't the Death Eaters just _stun_ him if they wanted the minister? Of course, Harry knew they were never considerate of things.

"Harry?" Came Ginny's voice as Harry started to daze. At first he thought he was imagining it, but when he looked up he saw Ginny looking down at him. "Where's Ron... I want to talk to him."

"He should be in there," Harry stated while pointing at the door to the Hospital Ward. "He fainted when we were talking."

Ginny through him a suspicious look, but it didn't hold back the sorrow filled expression that had been etched into her face moments before. "Okay, well, I should be going to classes then..."

The words didn't seem committed to Harry. "You know, you don't have to go to classes."

With penetrating eyes, she eyed him, before nodding. "I'm going to go practice guitar, to... Distract me, I guess."

"I'll come with you," Harry offered as he stood. "Besides, I'm sure we'll have to catch up to Hermione later if not now."

And for the first time since reading the paper, he saw someone give a smile. It didn't last long though, as Ginny quickly sobered up and started to cry again. Harry wrapped his arms around her, to try and be comforting. It was awkward for him, because he didn't have much experience in the comforting category. Ginny didn't notice the awkwardness as she cried. Harry knew that grieving was essential, so he let her cry on. After five minutes she started to talk. "He was always such- such a prat. But mum and dad loved him... So- so did we, but I don't think he believed that..."

"Gin," Harry said, getting her attention. "Your family, he knew you loved him, and he loved all of you."

"How can you be so sure?"

Harry was silent for a moment, before he continued. "I never had a family... I grew up only knowing dislike and knowing what it feels like to not be wanted. And then when I see your family it's just... Different."

Just then Ginny pulled back from the embrace. "Thanks Harry... Come on, let's go."

After that, the two headed towards the room of requirements. The walk there was silent, but a comfortable silence. Just then Harry got to thinking again, except this time his mind wandered to Ginny. He couldn't help but realize how much their friendship had grown that year, and he couldn't avoid the fact that he enjoyed her friendship immensely. He shook the thoughts from his head, not certain where they were leading. Just then they reached the door that lead to the practice room that the Room of Requirements provided for them. When they got inside it was a little different. In the middle of the room was a high table that had two stools set up on each side. Harry's bass was next to one of the stools while Ginny's guitar was by the other stool. Suddenly Harry realized what the table was from. "I think the room gave us the table for us to write songs on."

A smile crept over Ginny's tired face as she saw Harry's nervous expression. "Ever written a song before Harry?"

Harry shook his head as he sat down. "I haven't done that much personal writing... Have you?"

"Yep, I'll show you some stuff as examples, and then you can give it a try."

"But why would I write a song? I haven't even made up my mind about singing yet!"

A stern look was shot at him from Ginny. "Come on, this will be just in case."

After Harry agreed, she took out a notebook with a black cover and started to flip through it. After she found what she was looking for she handed the notebook to Harry who started to read some of her songs and poems. After ten minutes he stopped. "Okay, I'll give it a try now."

Ginny nodded and turned it to a blank page for Harry to write on. After twenty minutes he had a short, very unprofessional song written. The song was about "Dirty Slytherin Snakes". Within five minutes Ginny was done touching it up. "There, your first song is done! Now all you need to do is sing it."

Suddenly Harry felt very nervous and uncomfortable. "Err, I'm not sure about-"

"Oh come on Harry!" Ginny exclaimed with a mischievous grin on her face. When she saw that Harry was going to be difficult she put on her pleading face.

Harry let out a sigh. "How about I practice on my own for today and tomorrow I'll sing for you."

"Okay, let's go back to practicing..." She whispered as Percy started floating back to her mind because of her inactivity. Within a few minutes the two had set up their instruments, microphones and were practicing silently with the earphones on. While Ginny plucked the guitar scale, Harry was trying to sing and play a small rhythm he made up a few moments before. But, every time he tried singing into the microphone while playing he would either stop playing all together or hit the wrong note. So for the rest of the day, the two friends practiced with the occasional venture to the kitchens to get some food. By the time they stopped to go see Ron again the two had made a good progression and had started on some more complicated playing styles.

The two set down their instruments in satisfaction. "Come on, Ron's probably going to have a fit if we're not down there when he wakes up." Ginny explained as they left the Room of Requirements. The two were once again silent when walking down the halls. Occasionally, Ginny's mind would drift but she always forced herself back into a state of numbness. Finally, the two reached the ward and went inside to find Ron sitting up in his bed.

He glanced over and averted his eyes. That's when Harry knew that Ron had wanted him there when he woke up. Ron knew that Harry had suffered loses as well, and that he would be the best person to go to. "Look, Ron, I'm sorry for not staying here..."

"Oh, don't worry 'bout it," Ron mumbled as he climbed out of the white hospital bed. A depressed aura followed Ron as he moved towards Harry and Ginny. "Come on, let's go to the common room."

The two followed him wordlessly, watching him twitch occasionally. It was obvious to Harry that Ron was having a really hard time keeping it all in. Suddenly Ron twisted around and looked at Harry. "Give that bastard hell for me."

The words shocked Harry and he was silent for a few seconds. "I will Ron, I'll give him hell."


End file.
